Just another Jesus blog

Main menu

Post navigation

I believe…

(This is part one of a multi-entry blog series discussion the Apostles’ Creed.)

So we’ve created a new blog (with all the old entries intact); we wanted to move away from the Sword & the Stone because it was created for different purposes at a different time. This blog is meant to be a more enduring blog that we will share throughout the years to come. Some of you who know me might pretty quickly figure out the name, for others it might take some time. Ultimately though, I like the name Flat Hill because it encapsulates the paradox of being a Christian. You conquer by surrendering. You find true strength in your weakness. You are great when you become humble. You are the leader when you serve others. When you give, you recieve.

Since this blog is brand spankin’ new, we thought it best to start with something important…but what?

Hmmm….
After looking at a couple possibilities, we decided it would be cool to go through the Apostles’ Creed. It’s vintage, often overlooked, sometimes even forgotten, but it’s an excellent summary of the big picture of the Christian faith. The word “creed” comes from the Latin word credo. Credo is the first word of the Apostles’ Creed and means simply, “I believe…” It sounds like a fitting way to kick off Flat Hill.

In Christianity, there are two different categories that doctrine can fall into. Mark Driscoll uses the image of two hands: one open, one closed. Until recently, that was my favorite metaphor. However, I read an illustration of two tiers in an article on Neue magazine by Jim Belcher (author of Deep Church). He borrows the idea from Robert Greer‘s book Mapping Postmodernism.

Anyway, back to the tiers! One is the upper tier and one is the lower tier. In the lower tier, you’ll find stuff like how pastors should dress (robes, suits, or blue jeans? shaved or with facial hear?), what type of music should be played (organs and choirs or drums and guitars), and even what type of translation should be used (KJV? NIV? NLT? ESV? LMNOP?!). In the upper tier, you’ll find beliefs that Christians cannot disagree about. These are the unchanging, unmoving beliefs that true Christianity depends upon.

These are the beliefs reflected in the Apostles’ Creed.

These are the beliefs we want to spend a little time exploring.

Come back soon to see a deeper exploration of the Apostles’ Creed.

Advertisements

Sharing is caring:

Like this:

Related

About daniel

First and foremost, I belong to Jesus. I try to live every day to bring glory to my King. I am married to the most amazing woman I've ever met; her name is Connie. I was born in San Antonio, TX; raised in Blaine, TN; served in the Air Force for seven years in Anchorage, Afghanistan, and the UAE; and am now attending Western Seminary in Portland, OR. I'm excited about the future!